Lancaster Men

The extraordinary story of the Aussie men of Bomber Command in the air and on the ground.

'[Rees'] account of the danger and difficulty is gripping.a remarkable book.' - Canberra Times

'Rees has an eye for technical detail and a passion for the people involved. Lancaster Men is a rare blend of ripping yarn and historical reference.' - Herald Sun

'Informed and very readable.' - The Saturday Age

'A fitting tribute to these almost forgotten Australian heroes of World War II.' - Australian Defence Magazine

More than 10,000 Australians served with Bomber Command, a highly trained band of elite flyers who undertook some of the most dangerous operations of World War II. They flew raid after raid over France and Germany knowing that the odds were against them. Stretched to breaking point, nearly 3500 died in the air. Their bravery in extreme circumstances has barely been recognised.

Peter Rees traces the extraordinary achievements of these young aviators. He tells their hair-raising stories of battle action and life on the ground. And he recounts how, when they returned to Australia, they were greeted as Jap dodgers and accused of 'hiding in England while we were doing it tough'.

Exciting, compelling and full of life, Lancaster Men is a powerful tribute to these forgotten Australian heroes of World War II.

Author bio:

Peter Rees was a journalist for more than forty years, working as federal political correspondent for the Melbourne Sun, the West Australian and the Sunday Telegraph. He is the author of The Boy from Boree Creek: The Tim Fischer Story, Tim Fischer's Outback Heroes, Killing Juanita: a true story of murder and corruption, Anzac Girls: The Extraordinary story of our World War I Nurses and Desert Boys: Australians at War from Beersheba to Tobruk to El Alamein. He is currently working on a biography of Charles Bean to be published in 2015.